Our Fitness Blog

Miss Piggy and her Secret Struggle for that Toned Look

It’s no secret that Miss Piggy is a fitness fanatic. The proof is in this picture, circa 1997, below! If only we could all be fashionista’s like her. What an iconic figure in exercise-wear!

But, in a recent interview with Miss P, she discusses her struggle to get that toned, lean look she’s been seeking her entire life. Shocker! After reading her heartfelt story, I felt compelled to write about the types of exercises that are good and the types of exercise that are GREAT.

What I mean by that is, all exercise is good. It gets your blood pumping, and keeps your heart healthy! Good.

But, if we have a goal to look smaller, more defined (and this does not mean bulky!) A healthy, toned, NON-JIGGLY body is what most women want. More specifically, a firm butt, tight abs and no more bye-bye arms that wave when you wave. Right?

If the above is your fitness goal, then aerobic (cardio) exercise alone will never get you there.

Let me say that again please: IF YOU WANT TO BE DEFINED, TONED, AND NOT MUSHY, you cannot just do tons of aerobic exercise.

Aerobic exercise is commonly called CARDIO. Types of cardio are: running, elliptical, cardio dancing, PRANCING…..etc. These are GOOOOOD exercises! I love to go for a little run when the weather is nice with my dog. And I enjoy the occasional 5K or 10K as well. Good stuff! It’s nice to know that the secret to real fitness however, is NOT hours a week running on a treadmill, or as I like to call it….a DREAD-MILL…

Realizing that cardio ALONE is not enough, we at 9Round have meshed anaerobic and resistance in WITH the cardio to give our client’s bodies the tight firm look ladies (and gentlemen) want. Pay attention to these two terms please, there will be a quiz later…..

What is resistance exercise? Well, anything that makes your muscles RESIST. When you kick or punch any of our 9Round bags, you automatically get resistance! They weight around 100 pounds, and this causes your muscles to contract upon impact. This makes your muscles stronger. Result? TONING.

We also have medicine balls (round weighted ‘balls’) and dumb bells as well as a few kettle bells. These are obviously weighted pieces and when you use them, again you are creating resistance.

Body weight exercises are also equally important for this result. Push ups, squats, lunges, planks, burpees and mountain climbers are just a few of the myriad of other resistance exercises done at 9Round.

Why do we want stronger muscles?

Let me tell you a little story…There once was a muscle that ate the fat….THE END.

Now, what is anaerobic exercise? Anaerobic means ‘without oxygen’. How long can you go without oxygen? Not very long. So, anytime you do anaerobic exercises, out of necessity, they need to be in short bursts. These exercises would include things like sprinting. More commonly at 9Round you’ll see this form of exercise in the form of “burning it out” on the bags for the last 30 seconds of the round (the yellow bell.) When you take a deep breath and punch as fast as possible for the full 30 seconds (yellow bell) portion of the round, you’ll be engaging in anaerobic exercise. The benefit of this is a huge increase in endurance. If you do this 3-4 times each time you do 9Round, you’ll definitely notice a faster improvement in your endurance! Don’t wimp out on this…really push yourself to punch the entire 30 seconds without stopping.

A mental trick I use to do this without stopping (yes, I consider stopping often, it HURTS!) is to breathe deeply in my nose and out my mouth while keeping my mind focused hard on a body I admire and aspire to look like.

This makes me remember why I’m here at this bag, punching in the first place!

You HAVE TO HAVE A WHY!

I always have goals and they keep me going. I literally mentally tell myself, “it won’t hurt in a minute, it won’t hurt in a minute.” And, I NEVER regret it!

So remember, we have got your back! (and back side!!) at 9Round!!! Combining these 3 types of exercise together is what makes 9Round unique and keeps it FUN, FUN, FUN!!! It’s why it works. It’s what helps ladies everywhere get into their skinny jeans and feel sexy again or maybe even for the first time!

Heather Hudson has been with 9Round since inception in 2008 and is COO and Co-Founder of 9Round Franchising. She is a black belt in Shotokan Karate and grew up with a passion for fitness and overall wellness.